3 Vital Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Criminal Law Attorney

Have you recently been arrested for something that you didn't do? Are you worried that you may get convicted for something that somebody else did? Being arrested can be scary, especially if you're not guilty. If you don't know what to expect, you may be worried about things that don't actually matter to your case. The best way to sort important things from things that you needn't think about is to enlist the help of an experienced lawyer. Since there are many lawyers out there, finding the right one for your case can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, asking the right questions can make this task easier. Some things that you should consider asking include:

Have you ever handled a similar case before?

The field of criminal law is vast and no two cases are exactly alike. While you may have been arrested for something relatively common, like shoplifting, that doesn't mean that other shoplifting cases are exactly identical to yours. You'll want to try to find a criminal law attorney who has successfully handled cases that are as close to your case as possible. A lawyer who handles mainly drug possession charges can still help you with a shoplifting charge, but he or she will have less experience with the portions of the law that are relevant to your case.

What kind of costs will there be? There may be costs for a good defense beyond simply paying your criminal law attorney. Your best chance may be to pay for your attorney to hire a private detective or to pay for an expert witness to take the stand on your behalf. Such things don't come cheap and may actually cost more than what you eventually pay your attorney. He or she should be able to give you a good idea as to exactly what sort of expenses you should expect to pay for your case.

Is a plea bargain the best choice? Even if you did nothing wrong, sometimes the best choice is to agree to plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for a greatly reduced sentence. This obviously isn't fair, but can be the best thing to do if there's enough evidence to make it look like you did something even though you're innocent. A successful plea by you and your criminal law attorney can do things like eliminate the chance of having a felony conviction on your record and keep you from having to serve an extended prison sentence. It will also allow you to get on with your life without having to incur significant debt to pay for your defense.